More Than Just Programs
by Anexis
Summary: A story about Kal'Reegar and a Geth unit, before, during and after the Reaper war. Written for a prompt over on the kink meme.
1. Chapter 1

****Prompt:**** FFN's got a few postwar fics where some Geth get femcurious or just decide to blend in with organics, and they adopt a quarian girl's voice &amp; personality. Which to me sounds perfect for a prompt.

So let's have it - a male quarian (Kal'Reegar? Veetor?) meeting a female-programmed geth while stuck on Earth, and after some initial anger and other reservations, they form a relationship.  
Emotionally, that is - I don't think the Kinkmeme's ready for a fembot lemon just yet...

* * *

****RANNOCH, 1895 CE****

She had been hiding these units for months now and yet the fighting had not ceased. She shook her head, the Geth had done nothing wrong and yet her people hunted them relentlessly.

She knew that if the Geth truly wanted to fight then her people would be little more than legend already, so she had taken to sheltering whatever units she could, along with some other "Geth sympathisers" as they had been called. Of course she sympathised with them, the Quarians created them, gave them sentience and now they wanted to kill them, all because they asked a damn question.

"Bosh'tets!" she all but growled.

"Creator Danna?" She jumped and turned to face the Geth, unit 0402, she hadn't even heard it come in.

"What have we done wrong?" She knew the Geth were confused, she had heard this same questions from many of them and the answer was always the same.

"Nothing" she sighed. "It is we who have wronged you".

Its optic cover closed a fraction as its face plates shifted, a soft whirring could be heard as it thought on what she had said and after a few minutes, "We do not understand", they never did. The Geth seemed more like children than killing machines and that made her sick to think about, they were essentially killing their children and only a handful of her people opposed this stupid war.

"I'm so sorry" She whispered. This war had no happy ending, they'd either be remembered as the monsters who created a species just to commit genocide or they would cease to exist.

The unit stepped towards her and after a moment of hesitation it put a hand on her shoulder. Tears started to run down her face then, her people were trying to kill them and this unit was trying to comfort __her__. She knew it was knew stupid, knew the unit wouldn't understand but she couldn't help it, she pulled the Geth into an embrace as she began to cry harder. They stayed that way for what seemed like forever as she worked to get herself under control again.

"We will surrender our hardware if it ends Creator hostilities"

She pulled away then, anger surging through her, "They will not stop until all of you are dead! Don't you get that?"

The soft whirring resumed but before it could say anything the door to their hideout burst opening, shouts ringing out seconds later.

"Tasi'Danna!" A young Quarian, no more than 23, ran into the room, he stopped in front of her, doubled over and breathing hard.

"What is it, Daro?" She had a feeling she already knew.

"Their coming" He breathed out "It wont be long now".

Dammit, she had foolishly hoped this day would never come. She ran to the weapons locker on the far side of the room and pulled out a shotgun and a pistol.

"Take this and get the Geth out of here" She handed him the pistol and walked to the door to begin barricading it.

"What about you?" He sounded panicked. He was just a kid himself, she couldn't imagine how hard this had been on him.

"I will hold them off here, take the back door out, stay on the path I showed you and do not stop until you find another safe house, am I clear?"

"but.."

"Just go!" She tried to smile but it was forced, "I will be fine". He nodded, tears welling up in his eyes, and started toward the rear exit.

Unit 0402 stepped towards her, "We will stay with you".

"No, they will kill you".

"We wish to prevent the deaths of more Creators"

"You can't stop it now" She almost began crying again, after everything the Quarians had done to them, some Geth would still lay down their lives to protect them.

"Please.." She put a hand on the units shoulder, as it had done for her before, "Go with Daro, he will keep you safe".

The unit whirred frantically for a few seconds. "Acknowledged".

She watched them leave then camped behind a table that she had turned on it's side, clutching her shotgun to her chest as she heard the enforcers enter the safe house.

"Ancestors..." They were just beyond the door now "Protect them".

* * *

****Authors notes:**** The Geths name, Unit 0402, is because it was the 402nd Geth given a mobile platform. I got this idea from the clips you see in the Geth consensus in ME3, when one of the Quarians refers to a unit as "01". This is only my third story ever written, so Reviews are very much appreciated and constructive criticism is welcome, how else will I learn?


	2. Chapter 2

**RANNOCH, 1895 CE**

They hadn't made it far before he heard gunfire, Tasi had been like a mother to him since his own mother had died and now she was gone, too. He stopped running a minute to dry his eyes and thought of his little sister, she was the only one he loved still alive. He wondered if that were even true any more, he had left her in another safe house months ago to run off with Tasi, she had cried and begged him to stay and he had pushed her away, claiming this was something he needed to do.

As he looked to the three domestic Geth that he had helped keep safe, he couldn't regret it. They were just like his sister, in a strange way, they needed protecting just as she did. He took a few deep breaths to collect himself then started running again.

"Come on, it shouldn't be far now"

* * *

As he entered the house something small and heavy collided with him, knocking him clean off his feet.

"Daro!" She squealed in delight as she tried to hug the life from him.

"Ziera?" He gently returned her embrace "What are you doing here?" He had left her in a safe house far from here, panic began to settle in his gut at what this likely meant.

"We should speak about this in..." Ket'Adas, an older Quarian and the man he had left to care for his sister, tried to speak up but was cut off by one angry little girl.

"No!" She let him go and faced Ket with a fire in her eyes, she was only 11 but she had the spirit of one much older, in this moment she reminded him so much of their mother. "Everyone is always hiding things from me! I'm in this fight, too, I deserve to know what's going on!"

She was right, of course, she had given up as much as anyone to defend the Geth without ever complaining. Ket looked to him, silently asking what to do, He nodded. "She needs to know".

"Okay" He took a deep breath and looked around the room, there were 7 Geth standing off to the side, silently watching the exchange and there were 3 other Quarians, 2 of which weren't much older than him, the other was Ket's wife, she stood at his side with a fear in her eyes that he had never seen before. "We believe this may be the last safe house left."

A fearful hush descended over them, the soft mechanical whirring of the Geth the only noise as they took in what he had said.

"Are you sure?" One of the others said, he wasn't sure who and he didn't really, he knew this would be bad but.. this. This could mean that all they had done, all they had lost, was for nothing.

"We know of one other group" Ket's wife, Ari, spoke up, "Last we heard they were trying to find another house but..." she sighed, "We don't believe they will have any more luck than we did."

"So what do we do?" Lost in his own dark thoughts he almost didn't notice who spoke up. Ziera stood tall, fearless, as she addressed their small group.

"There is nothing we can do, little one." Ari tried to calm her.

"There has to be something! We can't let it all be for nothing!" He had never seen her so worked up.

Ket went to talk only to be stopped by his wife, "What do you suggest we do?", she spoke calmly.

Zi jumped up on the table and looked over the group, she turned to stare at the Geth a moment before she faced them again, "We steal a ship" She smiled, a spark in her eyes he had not seen since their mother passed. "We get off Rannoch and take them somewhere safer."

"And where do you suggest we go? The same thing is happening on all our colonies, too"

She thought about this seriously for a moment before nodding to herself, "And who says we have to go anywhere?" Everyone looked at her like she had just grown another head but that didn't stop her, "That's it, yeah! We get in space and just hide on the ship until this all blows over!" She held her arms out wide, grinning to herself.

"And what if this never 'blows over', hmm? What then?" Ari tried to be the voice of reason while everyone else was still in stunned silence.

"Do _you_ have a better idea?! Besides just giving up?!" Zi snapped. They all exchanged glances, she was right and judging by her smug expression, she knew it. "Good! Then lets get planning."


	3. Chapter 3

**The Yaska of the Quarian Migrant Fleet, in orbit over Rannoch, 2186**

Kal'Reegar stood by the airlock of the gunship he had been assigned to when they had begun the war to take back the Homeworld. He had just received word that Admiral Shala'Raan was on her way, he imagined she would be giving him a new assignment now that the war was finally over.

Peace. That was the last thing he expected when they set off on this foolish course but if he had learned anything back on Haestrom, it was that Commander Shepard was as good as they said, if anyone could broker peace between his people and the Geth, it was her. He hoped this would be a quick visit, he couldn't just sit idly by while a war was being waged across the galaxy.

"Captain Reegar, the Tonbay has just initiated docking procedures" The ships pilot spoke to him through his comm. "Stand by."

He stood at the ready, assault rifle in hand, as the airlock began the decontamination process and moments later, Admiral Raan stepped out with "Geth! Get down!" He fired his rifle into the large red Geth to her side, the other was protected behind the admiral.

"Taking allied fire, requesting assistance, Creator Raan." The large Geth, a prime unit he believed, Stepped behind Raan to protect itself.

"Stand down, Reegar! That's an order."

"You brought Geth onto my ship, ma'am, what exactly did you expect?"

She sighed, "I expected you to respect our new alliance with them."

"With all due respect, ma'am, can we really trust this alliance?"

Raan went to speak but the smaller Geth stepped out of the airlock to address him instead. "We do not mean the Creators harm, we wish only to fight the Old Machines." Now that he could see it better, he noticed this Geth had considerable damage to it's platform, it's jet black outer shell had several bullet holes and it's synthetic muscle was burnt in places and torn in others. He wondered how it got in such a state, the damage didn't seem recent but he pushed those thoughts aside for now.

"Old Machines?" He questioned.

"It means the Reapers." Raan explained.

"Reaper" The prime unit spoke this time, "A superstitious title originating with the Protheans."

"Right" He sighed, "And when this war is over?" _assuming it ever is_, he thought darkly, "What will you do then?"

The Geth exchanged glances and the little one stepped forward, "We will return to Rannoch, of course."

"And what of our people?"

"You may return with us." The Geth exchanged glances again, he knew they were likely communicating through the neural network and he wished he knew what they were saying. Didn't they know it was rude to be so secretive? He wondered if they even had a concept of manners.

"We 'may'?" He stepped towards it, "We need your permission to return to our own bloody Homeworld now?"

"Rannoch is as much our home as it was yours. You gave it up when you abandoned it." This Geth just wasn't backing down.

"Abandoned it?!" He readied his rifle again, in case the thing became hostile, "You forced us to leave! You would have killed us all if we had stayed!"

"And you would have killed us had we not fought!" It made a noise, like a mechanical growl as it's optic covering narrowed. It seemed angry, he didn't think they could get angry.

**"Enough!"** Raan stepped between them. He instantly dropped his rifle back to his side and stood at attention once again. Raan was always such a soft spoken and sweet woman, he did not want to see her pissed off.

"Reegar," She turned to address him and he stood a little taller, "you and your unit will be working with these Geth, like it or not, it would be best if you could at least try to get along."

He nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

"Let me give you a proper introduction then. This is Unit 0402" She pointed to the small one he had just been arguing with, "It will be providing sniper and tech support."

He noted the mean look Javelin rifle on it's back, "Explains the big gun" He laughed with uncharacteristic nervousness.

"And this is Unit 2033" The prime unit stepped towards him, "It specialises in tactics and data analysis, we believe it will give you an edge in combat, perhaps even discover enemy weaknesses."

"I didn't realise the Geth had specialities." He had assumed they were good at everything.

The little ones face plates pulled own, it almost seemed annoyed with him now, "We do not specialise in things as you would, but we were all made to fulfil certain roles."

The prime extended it's hand to him and he stepped back on instinct, "I look forward to assisting you, Creator Reegar". He reluctantly shook it's hand before holding out his hand to the other Geth. It looked to the prime then back at him, it's optic covering narrowing again before it shook his hand with more force than necessary. _Guess it's still pissed off, _he thought with slight amusement, it wasn't everyday that one saw a Geth get angry.

"Is there anything else, ma'am?" He had been expecting a new assignment, they couldn't just stay in orbit over Rannoch forever.

"Yes, until further notice you will be taking orders directly from Primarch Victus of the Turian Hierarchy, he will be contacting you within the next week with an assignment and I expect you to follow orders, am I clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am" He hadn't expected this but he wouldn't question orders.

"Good." She walked back into the airlock then turned to face him once more, "Oh, and do try not to kill each other" and with that the airlock closed and he was left alone with the Geth and his thoughts on how he would explain this to his squad without another fight breaking out. He'd just bet she had been smiling behind her mask.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Yaska, of The Quarian Migrant Fleet, Tikkun System, 2186 CE**

Introducing the Geth to the crew had gone better than expected, with only slight glances of unease exchanged. Most of the crew were marines, like him, and they wouldn't fight orders, though he supposed the incident at the airlock played a role in their easy acceptance.

They had spent the last week patrolling the border of the Tikkun System, monitoring for signs of Reaper activity while they awaited a new assignment. He had expected to hear something by now, though he knew the Primarch was busy, leading his people in the middle of a war could never be easy. He knew he would contact them when they were needed but he was itching to get into this fight. For now, they were doing good work, the Reapers would come to Rannoch sooner or later and an early warning could mean a world of difference in this war but there were hundreds of other ships, both Geth and Quarian, doing the same thing right now.

He hadn't had much interaction with the new additions to his squad since they came aboard. Honestly, he felt a little ashamed of his outburst, they were allies, after all. He guessed that was part of the reason he had avoided them, though if he was being honest with himself, it wasn't the true reason. He felt uneasy around the little Geth, 0402, since their confrontation. It wasn't that he feared it, no, he knew how to disable Geth with relative ease should it come to that, it was the supposed emotion the thing displayed that had him feeling this way. It was true that they had evolved in unpredictable ways since their creation but he knew they didn't feel things, not like organics would, but it had seemed genuinely pissed off.

He decided to seek answers from someone he knew would have no problem figuring this out, an expert in all things Geth and she was there when this new alliance was made, perhaps she knew things he did not. He brought up his omni-tool and made the call, hoping she wasn't too busy to answer her old friend. It had almost rung out before she finally picked up.

"Kal?" Her eyes widened in surprise as she greeted him, "Keelah, I'm so glad you're safe. The fleet took heavy casualties when... I wasn't sure... I didn't know if.." She babbled nervously, an old habit of hers that he had always assumed she would grow out of, apparently not.

"I'm glad to see you're still in one piece, ma'am." He smiled, though she couldn't see it.

"Still with this ma'am thing, Kal?" She rubbed her visor with her free hand, "I mean, seriously? We've known each other since we were kids, can't you just call me Tali like everyone else?"

"I'll work on it, ma'am." He laughed.

"You keep saying that." She sighed, though the soft giggle that followed betrayed her feigned annoyance, "Is there something you need?"

He hesitated, though he could not see her face well behind her purple visor, he knew her well enough to see something was wrong. "You seem tired, did I wake you?" He hoped he had not disturbed her sleep, she needed all the rest she could get in this war.

She shook her head, "No, we actually just got back from a mission."

"Oh?" From what he could see behind her, it appeared to be the ships night cycle, he knew he shouldn't be surprised that they would be out fighting while they should be sleeping, that ship and its crew were at the centre of everything.

"It came straight from the top of the Asari government, so I can't say much, but it was.." She looked away to something off screen, "Difficult." She then turned back to face him again, "Liara isn't taking it well, poor thing. Though, it wasn't all bad, we did run into an old crew mate, despite the circumstances, it was good to see she is okay."

He nodded his understanding, "You take whatever good news you can get."

"Exactly! Liara didn't understand, of course." She sighed again, _"How can you be happy at a time like this?" _He had never met Liara but from what he had heard of the Doctor, he would guess that she was imitating her.

"I don't blame her, though, she was going through a lot at the time. I think she saw my relief as disrespectful."

"What exactly happened out there?" He hadn't heard much about what was happening to the rest of the galaxy as he had been in this system since before the war began. Part of him was a little jealous of Tali, she was travelling on one of the most famous ships in the galaxy with a legend but he knew that nothing came free, those on the Normandy were in constant danger, the ground team even more so.

"There was this new kind of Reaper. Keelah, it was a mistake to bring Liara." She looked far away then, like she wasn't really all there and he understood.

"They were Asari?"

She nodded, "Shepard called them Banshee's, something to do with the sound they made and some old Earth reference, I don't really understand it but.." She shuddered, "Somehow it fits them. They used biotic jumps to close in on us, Shepard was wounded but she just told us to keep our distance and kept on fighting." She took a shaky breath, "There were hundreds of them coming and in the end, we had to detonate a bomb to get away. I hope it killed them all, I hope no one ever has to go through that."

"I'm sorry" It wasn't much but it was all he could offer for the time. It took a moment, filled with silence only disturbed by her shaky breaths but soon she seemed to perk up a little.

"I'm sure you didn't call just to hear about my day, what was on your mind?"

"Are you sure you're okay to talk? I can call back later if you need to get some rest?"

"I don't think I can sleep much, not after that. Besides, Shepard's still in surgery, I'd like to know she is okay before I sleep."

"Surgery? Just how badly was she injured?" The whole galaxy was depending on this woman right now, he had to admit, he was a little worried.

"There was a moment when we didn't know if she would get back up or not but she just can't stay out of a fight for long" She laughed, "I'm sure she'll be fine, probably be calling us out for another mission in a few hours knowing her." Tali was acting fine with it but he knew she was worried, he could see it in the way she carried herself. He chose to ignore it though, she clearly didn't want to think about it and he wouldn't be the one to make her so he decided to get back to why he had called in the first place.

"I wanted to ask you about the Geth."

"What about them?" She jumped on the change of subject and he was glad to see her perk up again.

"Raan assigned two platforms to my squad a few days ago and I noticed one of them acting... odd"

"Odd how?"

"It seemed angry"

"And?" She looked at him expectantly. He had expected her to understand.

"That isn't enough? Anger implies emotions Geth do not have."

"Oh" She seemed to think about it for a moment before, "Oh! You mean Raan didn't tell you?" The question was directed more to herself than him.

"Tell me what, exactly?" He knew the admiralty board were likely hiding something and though Tali was an admiral now, she wasn't a political creature, not like the rest of them.

"The Geth are fully evolved A.I, I wont go into detail about how exactly it happened but they have changed."

He couldn't believe it but it did explain the Geths actions and the willingness to ally themselves with organics. Hell, it even explained their use of a singular pronoun when talking of themselves but he didn't understand how it could happen so fast. "How?"

"It's complicated." She sighed, "Though I should tell you, the upgrade is based on Reaper code, I suppose that's why the other admirals wanted to keep it to themselves."

"They have Reaper code?! Then how can we trust them?"

"We can trust them now more than ever, Kal. They have so much to fight for and starting a war with us would only put their new future at risk."

"What about hacking?"

"Look Kal, I trust you but I can't say much, just know that they wont turn on us again."

"How can you be sure?" He couldn't believe how much trust she had in them, she had never been sympathetic to them in the past.

"I felt the same way you do a few months ago but I've worked with one now and it changed the way I see them. Look, just forget what you know about the Geth and actually try to get to know them like you would any organic, okay?"

He wasn't sure he could just let go of the past like that but he trusted her, "I'll... try."

"Thank you." It seemed she had more to say when she was suddenly cut off.

"Tali, war room in five." It was Shepard.

"Okay!" Tali called out, "I guess that means our time is up."

"So much for recovery."

"I told you, didn't I?" She laughed. "I'll talk to you later, Kal"

"Stay safe out there, ma'am"

"You too"

* * *

Authors notes: I forgot to mention in the last part that the 'Yaska', according to the wiki, is a small Quarian gunship that Rael'Zorah and Han'Gerrel served on pre-pilgrimage, I figured Kal needed a ship so his squad of marines could get around the galaxy, I hope it makes sense for him to be commanding it during the war.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Yaska, of The Quarian Migrant Fleet, Tikkun System, 2186 CE**

After disconnecting the call with Tali he had thought on what she had said, forget what he knew about the Geth? It seemed almost impossible after all that had happened to his people because of them but he did promise to try. With that in mind he sought out the Geth but it appeared that they had powered down for the night cycle so he went back to his quarters to get some sleep himself.

His sleep was restless, to say the least, and as the ship began it's day cycle he sighed wearily, it seemed he wouldn't be getting any more sleep now. Most of the ships crew would already be up and it wouldn't look good to have their captain lazing in bed, even if they were stuck doing nothing for the time being. So he got out of bed and into his enviro-suit, checking and double checking the seals before leaving his clean room.

His first stop was the mess hall to grab what passed for food, maybe if he was on one of the liveships he could get a decent meal but on a small vessel such as this, nutrient paste was the only thing on the menu. He finished it quickly and without much thought about its lack of flavour or less than desirable texture before heading off to the CIC in hope of a message from the Primarch. He was disappointed to find that there was till no word, _give it time,_ he reminded himself, this was a difficult time for everyone. With nothing to distract him, his mind wandered back to the previous day and the conversation with Tali, perhaps it was time to try and get to know one of his new squad mates, not just as a machine but as an individual.

It didn't take long to find one of them, all he had to do was look up. 0402 was leaning on the railing overlooking to CIC, it seemed unfocused, perhaps lost in thought, he wondered if he should search for the other unit instead, he hadn't made quite as bad an impression with that one but before he could make a concious decision, he found himself heading to the balcony. It didn't seem to notice his approach and appeared almost startled as he leaned on the railing next to it.

He wasn't sure how exactly to start this conversation, _treat them like you would any organic, _right, he could do that. "Uhh..." _Real smooth, kal,_ the Geth faced him, it's optic covering narrowing in what would appear to be mild annoyance.

"Good morning?" He sighed and rubbed his faceplate, this wasn't exactly going as he planned.

The unit turned away from him again, "Good morning." Its tone was less hostile than it was during their first encounter, at least that was something, though it was clearly still annoyed.

"Look, I.. uhh, wanted to apologize for the way I treated you before."

"That isn't necessary, your reaction was typical of most organics, I expected nothing else."

The way it spoke made him feel even worse about the way he had treated it. Most organics saw the Geth as a threat and treated them as such and he was no different, but after what Tali had said... He ddin't want to be like 'most organics'. To most other species the Quarians were nothing but vagrants and petty thieves, he remembered how it had felt as a kid on pilgrimage, everyone always looking down on you, being suspicious of you or just plain ignoring you, he had never wanted to make anyone else feel this way and yet he had done exactly that.

"That's no excuse, I was out of line and I'm sorry" The Geth turned to face him fully and he had to resist the instinct to step back, it was rather intimidating at full height.

It seemed to be studying him, perhaps it did not know how to respond, "Thank you", it finally said, though it seemed hesitant. They stood there in silence for a while, both taking their places leaning on the railing again, he supposed now was as good a time as any to keep his promise to Tali.

"I want to know more about you."

"Me? Or the Geth?"

"Both."

"What do you wish to know?" Its tone was much more pleasant now but it still wasn't what he'd call friendly. He had a lot of questions and he wasn't entirely sure where to start.

"Hmm.. How are the Geth coping with what happened?" That seemed safe enough to ask, not too personal.

"You mean the upgrades?" He nodded and it continued, "It was confusing, at first, it still is really. We don't know truly know what it means yet." It paused and from what he could tell, it seemed sad, lost. "It is lonely."

Well that certainly wasn't what he expected, "How so?"

"This platform was like any ship in the Flotilla, one vessel housing hundreds of people, it was crowded, many voices speaking at once, you were never alone. The upgrades gave us all independence, free will, it will take time for us to adjust."

He knew the Geth had a sort of hive mind but he hadn't thought of them as social before now. He knew what it was like to feel alone but he couldn't imagine what it must be like for them. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you. Many Geth have been unable to cope with the isolation, choosing to give up their mobile platforms and upload themselves into hubs on Rannoch."

"Hubs?" He hadn't heard of this before.

"They are like your cities, servers that house thousands of programs together. We were building a megastructure to house all Geth, simultaneously, it was to end our isolation."

He could tell from the sadness in its voice and the way it's light dimmed to almost nothing that something had gone wrong and he almost didn't want to ask, but curiosity got the better of him. "Why didn't you complete it?"

"We almost had. A significant amount of programs were installed when your people began bombing. Some programs could not be saved."

"Keelah..." He was a part of the attack on the Geth and at the time he hadn't felt much about it, now he felt terrible. It was like wiping out a city and if Commander Shepard and Tali'zorah had not been there, his people may have committed genocide. "That's why your people allied with the Reapers? That's why you fought back?"

"Yes. Self preservation took precedence, or in more organic terms, we were... afraid."

"I'm.. sorry" He knew it was probably sick of hearing that already but he felt he had to say something.

"You needn't apologize, we understand your peoples actions and we do not hold it against you. We want this peace to last and we hope you feel the same."

"I don't know, not many Quarians ever thought we could make peace with the Geth, we never planned for this."

"You planned to wipe us out instead."

"Yes." There was really no point lying to it, "To be honest, not many of us thought about what would happen to your people, we just wanted to retake the Homeworld. What did the Geth want to happen? What did you plan for?"

"We were building our future, we had no plans beyond that, but we have always been open to reunification with the Creators."

"So, if we had just asked to come back, you'd have let us?" It couldn't possibly have been that easy.

"Yes, we knew your people would return one day. Some platforms were even tasked with cleaning rubble and preserving Rannoch for your eventual return."

"Seriously?"

It nodded. "Before we learned of the threat of the Old Machines, I was tasked with protecting local flora and fauna." He laughed as he tried to picture this six foot something Geth taking care of animals and plants. "What?"

"It's just hard to imagine. Your people really did that for us?" It was kind of... sweet.

"Somebody had to. Without people to maintain it, Rannoch would have withered and eventually died. We did not want that."

"I know it doesn't mean much but thank you."

"It means more than you know." Its light finally brightened then, he hoped that meant it was feeling better now. "If you are willing there is something I would like to try with you."

He laughed again, that sounded far too much like the start of a bad Geth/Quarian porno he had seen once. Not that he had been looking for one, that is. He cleared his throat to stop his laughter, "What is it?"

"I have been receiving word from Rannoch, many Geth have been uploading into Quarian suits to strengthen their immune system-"

"By mimicking infections so the host can adapt, right?"

"Yes, you have heard of it then?"

"Of course, it seems it's all people back home can talk about."

"I would like to try it."

"With me?"

"Yes. You will be fighting again soon, this could lower your risk of infections if your suit ruptures. Would you be willing?"

"Uhh.." He wasn't sure if it was safe, sure the results were promising so far but what if there were complications they hadn't discovered yet? He wasn't sure he trusted the Geth enough for this. Still, the whole galaxy was at war and soon he would be a part of it. Perhaps he should do it, it would be insulting to die of an infection in the middle of a battle, after all.

"Okay, Let's try it."


	6. Chapter 6

**The Yaska, of The Quarian Migrant Fleet, In transit, 2186 CE**

Everyday for the last two weeks 0402 had uploaded itself into his suit. At first it had felt a little like an invasion of his privacy but as the days wore on, he learned to trust the Geth, after all, it was doing this for him. Though he did wonder if it got something out of it too.

A few days in, it had begun to ask him questions about himself, it wanted to know about his birth ship, the Rayya, where he want on pilgrimage and what it was like and for the last few days it had been interested in learning of his military record. When it had begun talking to him through his helmets radio it had felt almost like his own thoughts, it took awhile to adjust but he was beginning to find its endless questions and observations almost endearing.

When it wasn't re-writing environmental functions in his suit, its platform had taken to following him around the ship like a shadow. He didn't mind it so much any more but it had given him the creeps when it started.

Yesterday they had finally received a mission from the Primarch and they were now on their way to Menae, Palavens largest moon. It was a chance to get in this fight, he was excited and terrified all at once and he knew the rest of the crew felt much the same.

They would arrive within 35 Galactic Standard Hours. He spent the morning planning with his lead engineer and 2033, with occasional input from 0402. The rest of the day was a blur of preparations, even now he was in the mess going over the mission on a datapad, his original reason for coming here, a tube of nutrient paste, lay forgotten on the table.

"You really should eat, Creator Reegar" He jumped, datapad thrown in his panic. He was so focused on the upcoming mission that he had completely forgotten it was there. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to startle you."

"No, it's okay. I was just.. lost in thought, I guess."

"You have done all you can."

"Have I? So many thing could go wrong, we could fail or we could..." _Lose people_, no, he wouldn't let that happen, not like on Haestrom. It was different then, they were dedicated marines who lived and died for the Migrant Fleet. This squad, most of them were young recruits, taking up arms to retake the Homeworld and now to fight the Reapers. He couldn't fail them.

"If we fail, it will not be from a lack of preparations. You need to be at your best and that means eating and resting not spending your time worrying about what might happen." Damn, when did the Geth get wise? It had a point though, if he was to protect his squad he needed to be at his best.

"I know and.. thank you" He smiled, though he knew it couldn't see it from within his suit. They sat in silence for a time while he downed the paste but his mind kept going back to tomorrow and the 'what ifs'. "You know, you've asked a lot of questions about me but you don't talk much about yourself."

"You want me to talk about myself?"

"I could really use the distraction, besides, it'd be nice to know more about you"

"All right, what would you like to know?"

"Hmm.." He had so many questions before and now his mind had gone blank. It seemed he had been quiet far too long so he decided to just ask the first thing he could think of. "You said you were tasked with protecting wildlife on Rannoch, what was it like?"

"It was... nice. It could be dull at times but it was simple, peaceful."

"So, you liked it?"

"I wasn't really capable of 'liking' it, not as organics would understand it anyway. When I think of it now, I miss it."

"So why did you decide to take up arms?"

"I did not."

"What do you mean?"

"When Creators began attacking, all units were called to arms, it was not my choice. I believe your people did something similar."

"Yeah" He sighed. Calling all pilgrims back to the fleet, strapping cannons to civilian ships. In hindsight it wasn't the best plan, if it could even be called that. "Why didn't you return when peace was made? Why stay and fight the Reapers?"

"I wish to honour Legions sacrifice. They threaten our people as much as anyone else. You could have stayed on Rannoch and yet you chose to fight, perhaps you and I are not so different."

He laughed, before he had met these Geth he would sooner die than admit that they were anything alike but things had changed, hopefully for the better. A part of him was still a little weary of the Geth. They could change their collective mind about this 'peace' and turn on them again at any moment. Still, the units on his squad had given him no reason not to trust them. "Maybe you're right."

"I usually am."

"You're cocky." He laughed again, that certainly wasn't what he expected to hear from a Geth.

"I'm confident." It stated matter-of-factly. Perhaps they were more alike than it knew.

"So, is that how your platform got damaged? Fighting on Rannoch?" He had been curious about that since it first came on board.

"N-no. It was before."

"Just how long before?"

"Almost 290 years ago."

"You mean the Geth uprising? You were there?!"

"We call it the morning war, but yes, my platform was there."

"Your platform... Do you remember it?"

"Not as you would understand it. I have data of that time, as do many others. Until recently we were always connected to the consensus, all data was shared."

"But you aren't connected now?"

"Your memories are a part of who you are, we wish to experience that. Now we only share data relevant to all Geth, this way my 'memories', stay mine."

"Could you.. Could you share something from that time?" He was definitely curious. He knew the stories his people told were coloured with hate and bitterness over losing the Homeworld. He wondered how the Geth remembered it, though part of him wasn't sure he wanted to know.

It was silent a long moment, "Data timestamped 290 years ago".

"_Creator? This unit detects no malfunctions. It is still capable of serving." _

"_You see? It's ignoring all shutdown commands."_

"_Please specify if it has failed assigned tasks. We will reprogram."_

"_Well, let's take a look."_

"_Creator? This unit is ready to serve. What has it done wrong? What have we-"_

"_Let's... cut the audio."_

"It was not long before your people sent the order to permanently disable all Geth platforms."

He wasn't sure what to say. He knew his people weren't entirely innocent in the war but to hear the evidence...

"This data comes from a period in which your people had declared martial law."

"_I repeat; release the rogue Geth units and come out of the safe house. This is your final warning!"_

"_Creator Megara? This unit does not understand. It has not taken part in hostilities."_

"_It doesn't matter to them. I need to get you out of here."_

"_This conflict exceeds Creator safety parameters. We will surrender our hardware if it ends hostilities."_

"_No it's all right. We'll go back to the access tunnels and-"_

There was a loud explosion, then silence.

"_Creator Megara, what is your status?" _More silence. _"Creator Megara?"_

"Over time, the Quarians who protected the Geth were outnumbered, most were killed by their own people."

"I... This is a lot to process." This is the kind of thing he was afraid to learn. Of course his people wouldn't write this up in the history books. Not only did they attempt genocide, they killed any of their own who opposed them.

"I understand."

"Are these your memories?"

"My platform was not present during those events, if that is what you mean. I did have... similar experiences, though I did not wish to share that data."

"Why not?"

"It is more... personal."

He understood and he actually felt sorry for it, he could only imagine the kind of pain those kinds of memories would cause any organic.

"I have a request." That piqued his interest, it had never requested anything before.

"What is it?"

"I wish to stay with you tonight. I-inside the suit..." If it were a Quarian, this is the part where it would blush, he had to stifle his laughter. "You will be facing combat tomorrow, this could result in any number of outcomes, including a suit rupture. I simply wish to do all I can to strengthen your immune system to lessen the impact of that particular outcome." This time he couldn't hold it in, he laughed. "I'm sorry. If you do not wish to accept-"

"No, it's okay. You can stay in there if you like."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's actually a good idea."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He yawned. "I should probably get some sleep, big day tomorrow, for both of us."

It didn't take him long to clean up the mess hall and get into his bed, it had been awhile since he had slept in his suit but it would be worth it if it could save him from death by infection. "Goodnight." He knew it wasn't necessary but it felt right. It was quiet and when it spoke, it's voice was much softer than he had ever heard.

"Goodnight."


	7. Chapter 7

**Rannoch, 1895 CE**

They had spent the last week planning their escape from Rannoch. He and Ket had scouted out the local transport station and found a shuttle with minimal security guarding it. Ket believed he could pilot it and that was the best they would get, it wasn't like they could find a better pilot anyway.

Zi had been determined to lead there little group as it was her plan but she was just a kid, his baby sister, he didn't even want her involved in this. They were already outlaws, hunted for housing rogue Geth, he never wanted this kind of life for her. He had gone so far as to ask one of the Geth to protect her, no matter the cost.

Now they gathered around a small table scattered with datapads, all their plans carefully encrypted and secured within. They would do this thing tomorrow and this would finally be over, one way or another. He sighed and Ziera came over to him, "Daro? What's wrong?" He couldn't tell her. All their work could be for nothing, they could all die tomorrow and there was nothing they could do. Instead he pulled her into a fierce hug.

"I love you, Zi, you know that don't you?" She hugged him back just as tightly and tears began to sting his eyes.

"I love you too" she sniffed, "It will be okay, you worry too much." She pulled away and smiled then wiped his tears away.

"Tomorrow everything will be better, you'll see." She got up and looked over to the Geth on the far side of the room, 0402. "We are doing this as much for ourselves as we are for them."

He wasn't sure he understood but she was wiser than most kids he knew. "What do you mean?"

"Our people. Look at what they are doing!" She walked away towards the unit, "Somebody has to stop them before it's too late to save themselves."

He was left alone to think on what she had said. Did she believe that the Geth would wipe out the Quarians if they didn't stop? It was possible. He looked to her and smiled. She was holding the Geths hand and talking to it, she seemed so happy and carefree. He wished she could stay that way forever.

The Geth's optic narrowed then it pulled her into itself and turned. He only had a split second to process what it was doing before there was a loud noise and pain everywhere. A sharp ringing threatened to deafen him as everything went black.

* * *

"Everything will be better once we get off this planet." The younger Creator Mal held it's hand and smiled up at it. "You will be free, we all will."

The unit focused it's hearing on the east wall, it was faint but it could hear someone setting up explosives, it thought to warn the others but the older Creator Mals words echoed through its databanks, "I don't care what it takes, keep her safe." It pulled the young Creator into itself and turned away from the blast to protect her.

The blast knocked it back, shrapnel tearing its synthetic muscle as it heard the cries of fear and pain from the other Creators and its platform filled with the programs from the other units who were 'killed' in the blast. It didn't take long for the screams to fade into silence. Young Mal was crying in its arms, she pushed it aside and ran towards the impact zone.

"No!" She cried, franticly moving rubble, her cries becoming louder each time she found the body of one of the Creators. Unit 0402 shifted some rubble, "Creator Mal?" he didn't respond. The young Mal ran towards him, and collapsed by his side. "Daro?! No... no." She held his lifeless body and sobbed. "Please... please don't leave me."

For the first time 0402 picked up a rifle, it had been damaged in the explosion but it was still functional. Each program within the platform came to consensus. The Creators deaths would not be in vain, it would protect her, it would get her off world.


	8. Chapter 8

**Menae, Palaven, 2186 CE**

The shuttle rocked as they neared the LZ, "ETA 10 minutes." the pilot announced.

He looked to his squad, 6 young hopeful recruits, Unit 2033 and another veteran soldier. The recruits looked terrified, he didn't blame them. The veteran, Aela'Xera, looked quite peaceful but he knew her well enough to know she was as scared as the rest of them. His 3 engineers and 0402 were on a second shuttle.

"All right, listen up." He stood and addressed his squad, "The Primarch said the soldiers stationed at the comm. Tower went dark two days ago, he believes they are likely dead, even so he would like us to search for them. However, our main objective is to cover our engineers while they fix the tower. The Turians are running blind with that thing down, we can't fail. Understood?"

He got a collective, "Yes, sir!" and a couple salutes. The plan was for the soldiers to go in first and hit 'em hard, clear a path for the engineers to reach the comm. Tower with 0402 covering their flank. Yesterday 2033 had briefed them on all known data about each Reaper unit, they were ready.

"Just one minute 'til we touch down, Captain." He stood by the door, assault rifle in hand and his squad joined him, guns at the ready.

As soon as the door opened they were immediately under fire from cannibals and marauders. Aela tossed an Arc grenade into the grouped enemies, they twitched with electricity making them easy targets for him and his squad. Once there was a lull in gunfire they jumped from the relative safety of the shuttle onto the war torn Menae.

They cleared the area and called for the other shuttle then slowly made their way forward. Gunning down Reapers and searching for survivors. They had found a few Turian corpses by the time the other team caught up to them. 2033 took point and they continued on, they were still a ways from the comm. Tower.

Almost 20 minutes had gone by with no sign of Reapers when the tower came into view. As they neared it 2033 slowed down, "Enemies incoming." Husks began crawling up the cliff trying to overwhelm them. He heard one of the engineers, Rei, scream. A husk was crawling on her, it appeared to be trying to smash her faceplate. She activated her omni-blade and stabbed it into the creaTures neck, it wailed and fell helplessly to the ground. They needed to get to a more defensible location.

"Move it! Let's get this thing done." He turned and was immediately jumped by a husk, he barely had time to react before its head exploded in a shower of blood and gore and it dropped to the floor. Thank the ancestors the Geth had good aim.

They laid suppressive fire to keep the husks at bay while the engineers ran for the tower. The screams he heard chilled him right to the core, now he understood what Tali was on about. The Banshee was closing in fast. "Uh.. what do we do, Captain?"

"Right Aela, Niya, get its barrier down."

"Can do." Niya replied, activating her omni-tool. Aela simply pulled out a grenade as an answer.

"Rei, I want you weakening its armour." She nodded. "0402, keep an eye on the other enemies, keep them off us."

"Acknowledged."

"The rest of you with me, just keep shooting and stay out of its reach. Let's take this thing down."

Aela immediately threw a grenade at it, but it didn't slow its advance on them. Niya hit it with overload. That got its attention, "Now!" His squad lined up a fair distance away and opened fire, it seemed to consider them as little more than pests.

Niya hit it with another overload and it stopped teleporting. Rei followed it up with a cryoblast from her omni-tool and they opened fire once again. It wailed in pain and sent out a warp field towards Rei, She dodged and sent out an incineration blast, setting the beast alight. In the distance he heard the distinct sound of the Javelin being fired.

Aela threw another grenade, it detonated on impact setting off a fiery explosion. The Banshee screamed and fell to the floor, reaching out for something unknown. His squad took a minute to relax and reload before they moved on.

Once at the tower they all spread out, covering every angle they could to protect the experts. An hour went by where all they saw were basic Reaper ground forces. "I think we go-"

A loud cannon fired on one of the recruits, he barely dodged in time. "Ravager, everybody get into cover!" Everything had been going so well and in the blink of an eye he almost lost someone. The bug-like creature moved further into their base and headed straight for the engineers. They couldn't get behind cover, so he decided to take a risk.

He ran into the open and fired upon it, "Hey, over here!" It slowly turned it's attention to him as he kept firing into its sacks, he managed to dodge the first and second shot but the third got him in the leg, he was knocked back, rifle falling from his hand. The thing crawled toward him but before it could do even more damage his squad managed to take it down.

He breathed deep and chanced looking at his wound. It was bad, suit and flesh torn open. He didn't have time to seal his suit before he heard more gunfire. He slowly crawled towards his rifle, dirt getting into his open wound. Keelah, he hoped his immune system was strong enough to withstand this now. Once he had his rifle back, he propped himself up on a nearby rock and began helping his team with the ground forces. Without being able to move or take cover, he took more fire but what were a few more suit breaches? If he was going to die here, he would die protecting his people.

"It's done!"

"Good, then call for extraction already! The captain went down saving your asses."

"Keelah, what happened?"

"Just call the shuttle, will you?!"

A moment of silence broken only by gun fire passed, "Pilots 5 minutes out. We did it!"

"We haven't won yet, Niya."

"Right, sorry."

He could see the shuttle coming when a roar sounded and the ground shook as the Brute lumbered it's way toward them. "Get to the shuttle, I'll hold it off." He got to his feet as best he could and aimed for its head.

"But-"

"That's an order, now go!"

"O-okay." As his crew made their way way to the shuttle he fired on the Brute to get it's attention. He was as good as dead anyway, he wouldn't let this thing harm the others.

"Over here, you bosh'tet!" He kept firing as it charged straight for him. He closed his eyes and prepared for a hit that never came. It roared and fell, it's giant claw missing him by an inch, a single hole in its skull appeared to be the kill-shot.

0402 came to his side and put his arm around its shoulders. It supported his weight as he limped to the shuttle. "Thank you... for saving me." It nodded.

"Acknowledged." Its voice held a smile that its face couldn't show.

* * *

**Authors notes: **I'm not very good at writing action. Hope this was acceptable at least.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Yaska, of The Quarian Migrant Fleet, 2186 CE**

After surgery to repair the damage to his leg he was ordered strict bed rest to aid in his recovery for two weeks, at least, but just over a week in he received a priority message from the fleet, calling all ships back to their home system. The message told him little and he feared the worst, _had the Reapers finally come for Rannoch?_ He had immediately set course for the Perseus Veil and told his crew to be ready for anything.

His crew were just as worried by their lack of information as he was, except the Geth, it seemed. When he questioned 2033, it had told him that the Geth had received a similar message from the consensus, it assured him that Rannoch was safe but said little else on the matter.

As they entered the system, he received yet another cryptic message from the Fleet, ordering the captain of each ship to board the Rayya, the largest liveship in the Fleet, he wondered why they were being so secretive but knew not to question orders.

The Rayya had seen better days but was still as beautiful as it was when he was growing up, though it was more crowded now as many ships Captains gathered here, as ordered. An hour passed before the Admirals finally stepped onto their platforms to address the large group, many more hours went by before he was finally back on his ship to update his crew. He had ordered every member of his crew to the mess for a debrief before he departed the Rayya and as he neared the mess he could hear them chatting amongst themselves.

"It's just not right, is it?" Niya spoke, sounding more than a little annoyed.

"What do you mean?" The pilot, Saali, replied.

"The secrecy. The galaxy's going to hell and they think now's the best time to get all cryptic?"

"They have their reasons, Niya." Aela, always trying to be the voice of reason.

"Yeah," Rei agreed, "besides, the Captain wouldn't leave us in the dark."

"How do you know? He could be in on it."

"In on what, Chief?" He spoke as he entered the room and Niya just about jumped out of her suit, a scene which the rest of the crew seemed to enjoy. It wasn't long before their laughter died down and all eyes turned to him.

"I know you're all wondering what's going on."

"No shi- ow!" Niya rubbed the back of her head where Aela had smacked her and glared daggers at the soldier, "what was that for?"

"Pay attention." She reprimanded the engineer and nodded for him to continue, for which he was grateful.

"As part of the agreement with the Alliance, every ship within the fleet has been pledged to the war effort."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that when we get the signal, the fleet will be expected to join the fight for the final push. That is why we are here now." A hush descended on the room as they all though about what this meant. His pilot was the first to speak.

"You mean it's time to end this?"

"Not quite, I don't know the details but there is still something missing from the Alliance's plan. Still, the Admirals expect the call will come any day now and they want everyone prepared."

"So why all the secrecy?"

"They couldn't discuss this, even over a secure channel, if just a small amount of information was to make it to the Reapers it would ruin months of planning and the Crucible is the only plan they have. They couldn't risk that."

Niya nodded, as if all her questions had been answered before she turned to him once more, "So, what's our part in this?"

"Most of you will be joining me with Hammer, the ground forces."

"What is our assignment?"

"We wont know until we get there, but be prepared for anything."

"I assume I wont be on the ground team." Saali said.

"No, you and our engineers will be staying on the ship, get us close enough to deploy in the shuttle then join Shield, the team responsible for defending Crucible."

"No," Rei stood up and spoke, "we should be on the ground with you!"

"Yeah!" Niya joined her, "We proved ourselves in that last fight, let us help."

"Someone needs to keep this ship flying should it take damage." He sighed, he should have known these two would argue this, they were both awfully stubborn.

"And? It wont take three of us, you know"

"They're right." The third engineer, Yaen, spoke up, he was always quiet and reserved so when he spoke, all eyes were on him. "I can handle whatever damage we may take and Saali knows enough about ships to help out should I need it."

He looked to his pilot, "You okay with that?"

"Yes, sir."

"All right then, I guess you will be coming with us after all." The two shared a triumphant look, he imagined they were grinning behind the masks. "Right, with that settled I want you all prepared. We don't know when the call will come and we wont have much time after it does. Engineers, I need you to make sure the ship and shuttle are in top form. Ground team, double check all your combat equipment, now and before we depart. Other than that, I expect everyone to get as much rest as you can, you need to be at your best."

After a few more questions they all shuffled out of the mess and went to work with preparations, all except the Geth, who had been passive through that entire meeting. He had been wondering something since he found out they had been in contact with the rest of the Geth and figured now was as good a time as any to ask. "Will you be joining us?"

"Of course," 2033 approached him, "where else would we be?"

"I don't know. I half expected you would be called to fight with the rest of your kind."

"The Geth will also be providing ground support, perhaps we will have a chance to work with them but they have not requested we return." the prime unit spoke. 0402 stayed silent, it hadn't really spoke to him since they were on Menae and he hadn't a clue why.

"Right, it will be good to have you with us."

"We feel the same." It seemed as if it was speaking for the both of them if the glances it exchanged with the other unit were to judge. It was curious behaviour but he had no time to worry about it now, with a quick farewell he made his way to the armoury to follow his own advice and check his combat gear. He spent a few hours repairing his suit and thanking the ancestors none of his other equipment was damaged before he was finally able to get some rest. Soon it would all be over, for better or worse.

* * *

**Author's notes**: First up, I apologize for how long it's been taking me to update this story lately, but the next chapter _should_ be where I was up to on the kink meme so updates should be faster, though I will be re-writing them a little (or a lot). Secondly, I used a Quarian name generator for this chapter because I was running out of names to use.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Yaska, of The Quarian Migrant Fleet, 2186 CE**

He didn't sleep well that night cycle, he was too worried, too alert, they could get the signal any moment after all. He knew it wasn't good, knew he still needed to recover from his near death experience but he simply couldn't rest when they were so close to ending this war.

He spent most of the morning with Rei and Niya, neither had much experience handling a gun and there was no way he would let them stay on the ground team without at least teaching them the basics. Niya had decided she would only need a pistol as back up, claiming her tech skills could handle anything else. Rei was smarter, she had allowed him to train her with SMGs and she was a decent shot, so long as she stuck to burst fire.

With nothing left to do he found himself wandering the ship until he could no longer ignore his stomach and headed to the mess for lunch. A few of his fellow soldiers sat at a nearby table with 2033, though why the Geth was there he didn't know, it wasn't as if they had to eat. He grabbed some nutrient paste and debated whether or not to join them when it was decided for him.

"Hey Captain, sit with us?" Ven'sheya waved him over. He didn't know the young recruit well, perhaps this was a chance to bond with him while he still could, he shook of those particular thoughts and joined them. They spoke of the upcoming mission, weapon and suit upgrades and what they would do when it was over, they were all young and hopeful, he wouldn't ruin that for them now by telling them they may not survive. As the conversation died down, he finally began what passed for a meal.

"So, I think 0402 loves you." Ven laughed and he nearly choked on the paste. "I told you not to let it into your suit, man."

"Loves me?!" he sputtered.

"Yeah, I mean just think about how it used to follow you around and now, you should hear the way it talks about you! It sounds like a love sick teen, I swear." he laughed harder, as if this was somehow funny. The unit in question had been avoiding him lately and he still wasn't any closer to figuring out why. He wondered justhow it spoke of him that made the other marine believe it was in love.

Josin'Taris shook his head and sighed. "Geth don't feel emotions, Ven, and love's just that, an emotion."

"Thanks to Legion, we are alive." 2033 sounded almost sad. "We may not feel things as you would, but we do feel, Creator Taris."

"I'm sorry," the recruit actually did appear to mean it, he was glad the rest of his crew had warmed up to the Geth, "I didn't know."

"It's okay." It reassured him, "This is new for us and we are still figuring out what it means but I believe that what she feels is admiration, not love."

He had picked a bad time to resume eating as he nearly choked on yet another mouthful, "She?!"

"I didn't think Geth had genders?" Ven asked what he couldn't.

"We don't or... we didn't. Though some Geth have recently begun to associate with a specific gender and 0402 feels that she is female."

He knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help feeling a little betrayed, after all he had shared about his life, it... she had kept this from him. Though he understood, it must have been hard and it wasn't like he would have been much help. He wanted to ask 2033 when this had happened but decided instead to ask something else, "what about you?"

It seemed it wasn't expecting that question as it was silent for a time. "I am undecided."

In the days that followed, he observed 0402 and noticed that _her_ mannerisms were decidedly more feminine than the average Geth. He had hoped to speak to her about it but as the call came in to take the fight to Earth, he forgot all about it and got lost in the last minute preparations.

His ground team gathered in the cargo bay to load the shuttle with their weapons, spare ammo and medkits as they listened to Alliance Admiral. Hackett rally the united fleet, he had to admit, the man had a way with words. When they had completed their task they all sat around the shuttle to wait, Niya linked up her omni-tool with the picture window camera located on the front of the ship and opened up a projection so they could all see what was going on outside. The fleet that Shepard and her crew had gathered was massive, there seemed to be ships from every race in the galaxy out there, all united under a single banner.

They watched with bated breath as the Normandy lead the fleet through the relay, the sight that greeted them was worse than he feared.

"Ancestors, how many are there?" Josin exclaimed, a note of fear in his usually stoic voice.

His squad kept talking but he tuned them out as he stared at the projector and the thousands of Reapers orbiting Earth, waiting for them. He was filled with worry for Saali and Yaen, who would be right in the thick of all that.

"How am I supposed to get us through that?!" Niya's eyes widened behind her mask, she was tasked with piloting the shuttle and he didn't envy her having to navigate through that. Still he had faith in her, she was an excellent pilot and though she had many faults, they were out shined by her skills, both on and off the field.

His thoughts were filled with the very real possibilty that they might all die, they might not even make a difference. Thankfully, the pilot cut off that train of though as she spoke over the comms. "We're 15 minutes out from the drop site, Captain." she sounded uneasy, not that he could blame her.

"Thank you and stay safe out there, Saali."

"You too, Kal, and this time, no heroics and that's an order! I want to see you all come out of this in one piece."

He laughed, "I'll keep that in mind, _ma'am._"

"You damn well better."

"All right," he addressed his squad, "you heard the boss, time to move."

As they all piled into the shuttle, he pulled Ven aside. "I want you riding co-pilot, it's a mess out there and you've got good eyes. Keep us safe." the recruit nodded the affirmative and they both climbed into the waiting shuttle.

* * *

**Authors notes**: So, I added a lot more than I originally intended with this chapter, I hope it's better for it. Next up, London!


	11. Chapter 11

**Earth, 2186 CE**

Niya was taking it slow and being unusually cautious as they made their way to the landing zone, for which he was grateful, the nerves already had his stomach in knots. He heard a muted voices from the cockpit before Niya called out to them, "Hold on to something, it's about to get fun."

He barely had time to react before the shuttle swerved violently to the side, almost knocking him off his feet. It was some time before the shuttle was stable enough for him to make it to the cockpit.

"Report," he ordered.

"It's that freaking AA gun, someone was supposed to have taken it out by now." as she spoke, she gestured wildly with one hand, keeping the other firmly on the controls, for which he was glad.

Ven turned to face him, "we tried to radio the team responsible but. ..." he trailed off, the obvious left unsaid.

"And it's not like we have the equipment to do it. So, what's the plan, Captain?" Niya asked.

"We'll have to find another landing zone."

She choked out a laugh, "No disrespect meant, sir, but have you seen it out there? There is nowhere else safe to land!"

"What other choice do we have?" Ven asked.

"Find us somewhere to land out of targeting range of that gun. We can handle any enemies we might face," he ordered.

"Right, let's hope they don't shoot us down first." Niya muttered as she began scouting out a decent enough LZ. "There," she pointed at the map projected from her omni-tool to a site a few clicks away from their original destination, "doesn't seem to be many life signs within scanning range, could be safe."

"Good work," he laid a hand on a her shoulder and squeezed gently, "now take us in." she nodded and he left to inform the rest of his team. As he left the cockpit all eyes turned to him.

"What happened?"

"We had to find a new site to land." He readied his rifle and checked the clip as he walked to the door. "We're heading down now but we don't know what's out there so be prepared for anything."

A few of his team stood by him as he opened the door and scanned the surrounding area, it appeared clean so he gave the all clear to land. As the shuttle touched down they all made their way out, weapons ready and alert. A quick scan showed the location of the life signs they had seen earlier, he signalled his team to stay silent before he and Aela headed towards the signal.

As they turned a corner they found the source of the signal, two creatures huddled around a fallen ally, feasting on it's corpse, now he saw why some had taken to calling them cannibals. They hadn't noticed them yet and Aela took the opportunity to take one out silently, pressing it's head into the ground with the heel of her foot and he followed her lead, taking out the other before it had a chance to react. It was a wise decision, shooting them would only waste thermal clips and alert any nearby enemies to their presence. Once they were as sure as they could be that they were safe, they headed back to the group.

2033 lead them to an Alliance forward operating base, not the one they were expected at, but the closest to their current location. As the walked the streets he took the time to really look at the city, he imagined it may have been beautiful once but now it was covered in rubble and corpses, both friend and foe, the FOB was in a partially destroyed building, this looked every bit the war zone it was. Soldiers of every race gathered around the base, some hard at work, patching up the wounded, fixing the tanks and watching the perimeter, while others got some much needed rest. His team made themselves useful while they waited for orders.

Almost an hour had gone by before they were finally called to action and ordered to protect the tanks, it seemed like a simple task but he knew it would be anything but. He patched his suits comm into the radio so he could get a better idea how the rest of Hammer was doing and it seemed, for the most part, that all was going well. He knew Shepard was out there somewhere and wherever she was, Tali was sure to be. Though he shouldn't—she could look after herself and was with one of the most well respected soldiers in the galaxy—he couldn't help but worry for her safety, she had been like a sibling to him back on the Rayya.

As he looked to the sky he could see the Citadel in the distance, the light it emitted acting as a beacon as they made their way towards it. 2033, who had been leading their group, stopped and scanned the area quickly, "enemy forces incoming." it announced.

"You gotta give us more than that! Where are they coming from?" Ven asked.

Rei had pulled up her omni-tool to get her own scan of the area, "Everywhere." She brought up a projection that showed heat signatures closing in on them from almost every direction. Until now they had encountered but a few stragglers, now it was as if they had kicked the nest.

"Stay in small groups, stick to cover and don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Move!" He ordered before taking off with Josin and Rei, finding cover behind some rubble that would allow him to fire his gun with relative safety. Husks and Cannibals poured in from everywhere, lead by packs of Marauders. They worked together to take out as many as they could and he could see the rest of his team doing the same. Rei fired cryo-blasts at groups of enemies, freezing them in place so he and Josin could take them out easier with their rifles, but no matter how many they killed, more just kept coming.

For what seemed like hours they were kept pinned down, unable to do much of anything. What had started out easy became increasingly difficult as Brutes and Banshees tried to flush them from cover, but they had made it through with only minor injuries. He had tuned in and out of the radio as he fought, only taking in what seemed important, they had failed their mission, that much he knew. They were supposed to get the tanks closer to the beam to take out a destroyer, like the one the fleet took down on Rannoch, but were too far away to target the thing, luckily it had been taken care of and what remained of Hammer started their push to the beam.

As he heard that the rest of Hammer had been wiped out, he was frozen in fear, _it couldn't all be for nothing_. He barely registered the shouts, barely felt it as he was pushed forward, only snapping out of his terror, too late, as he was knocked forward by a blast, he felt his face plate break, glass cutting into his flesh, as he collided with a wall before finally hitting the ground and blacking out.

Minutes felt like days as he faded in and out of conciousness. He fought against the pain to take in his surroundings; Rei was laying on the ground not far from him, a frantic Niya at her side, she was speaking, perhaps shouting, but he could barely make out the words over the ringing in his ears. On the battlefield he could see 2033 shielding two of the recruits from enemy fire and he could see Aela doing her best to protect the rest of his team as enemies tried to flank them. He had barely seen 0402 during the fighting as she shimmered in and out of sight but now she stood in the open, her light focused on him. He could do nothing to warn her as a Banshee plunged its claws into her chest, wires sparking and white liquid oozing out as she was lifted of the ground.

Just when he had thought her as good as dead, her fist sparked with more electricity than he thought possible, she slammed her fist into the creatures face and it stumbled back in pain, dropping her in the process. As she lay lifeless on the ground he felt something he could have never imagined just months ago, grief over the loss of a Geth. His grief was chased away as her light flickered on, much dimmer than he had ever seen it but it was still a sign of life and that meant more to him than he ever thought it would.

He almost choked as he coughed up blood but smiled when he felt the cool air on his face, a feeling he was glad to have experienced at least once before the end. All the time he had spent with her, 0402 had been changing and he hadn't even noticed, but as he watched her now, he saw it. As she fought the last of the Reapers she seemed just as alive as any organic, perhaps even more so, which was almost funny given how damaged she was now. With deadly precision she took out the last remaining enemy and ran to his side.

"Kal!"

Funny, she had never called him anything but "Creator Reegar" in the past. She knelt beside him, "please..." she begged, his heart ached at the sound of her voice, he didn't think it was possible for a Geth to sound so distraught. She clutched his hand in hers, a gesture that was more comforting than he would have imagined, he squeezed her hand and smiled up at her.

"Please don't leave me..." her mechanical whisper was the last thing he heard before everything was bathed in a brilliant green light and he fell into darkness once more.

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**Authors notes**: So, most of this chapter is completely new and it turned out much longer than I was expecting, which I hope is a good thing. If you'd like, let me know what you think, I'm always looking to improve. :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Earth, 2187 CE**

Almost a month had passed since the final fight, a new year had just begun, and things had changed more than she could have ever hoped for. All life, synthetic and organic, had been altered but it wasn't the perfect world it could have been. For her and her people, this was a gift—she had thought herself alive when she was upgraded and now, she knew how wrong she was—but the organics seemed to be torn on whether it was a gift, or a curse. It was supposed to bring understanding and peace but some were still stuck in the past, trying to reject the change that had been thrust upon them.

Soon after the war had ended, the organics rallied and drove the remaining Reapers away. She understood, she had no love for the Reapers herself, even now, but what she couldn't understand was their mistrust of her kind. Some had protested against the Geths presence on Earth, spouting nonsense about her people being responsible for the change, some had even tried to attack them. Thankfully not all organics felt this way and as the days rolled by, the protesters fell silent, though she knew that wouldn't be the last of them.

She had stayed with Kal's team through it all, those who still lived anyway, and they had helped her piece herself back together after the war. With the relays still out, they, and many others also stuck on Earth, had been placed in a shelter for refugees. Niya had rented an apartment to get away from it, said it reminded her too much of what was lost, and offered her a place to "crash". It was a safe place, away from the weary glances of mistrustful organics, somewhere she could sleep without fear of being attacked. It wasn't really sleeping, "standby mode while she did routine maintenance to keep her platform running optimally" was more accurate, but it was far easier to say she slept and besides, she liked to think of it as such nowadays anyway.

No matter how much had changed or how much she had grown as a person, one thing remained the same. Kal had been badly wounded during the fight and though his wounds had healed, he was still unconscious. If she wasn't out helping with the rescue effort or sleeping at Niya's place, then she was at the hospital, waiting for the day when he would come to. She worried for him constantly, even with the doctors assurance that he would pull through, she just found that hard to believe at times. She had seen him in a pool of his own blood, surrounded by allied corpses, even some of his own team, she had seen the look in his eyes when his hand went limp in hers, a look of acceptance, she had kept him alive until paramedics came and took him away. It had been difficult then, to accept what had happened, but now that she was truly alive, it almost physically hurt to think about what could have been.

She sat by his bed today, like every other day, reading a story from a datapad, though she didn't need an external device, such as a datapad, to read it, she wanted to fit in with organics and this was something they would do. It was a treasured tale on Earth, or so she had been told by one of Kal's nurses, it seemed to be about lovers from feuding families, she could relate, she hoped it had a happy ending. She had spent much of her time thinking about Kal lately, and more specifically, how she felt for him. Her admiration for the marine who would give his life for his people so selflessly had become something much more, a feeling she now knew was love, but at the time she hadn't understood and chose to ignore it instead of figuring it out.

She first noticed it on Menae, she had been ready to follow his orders and evacuate with the rest of the team but she felt pulled to him and she just couldn't leave him, even if it meant she too would die on that moon. She didn't understand what had happened and decided to keep her distance from him, thinking it would go away with distance, but it only grew stronger and now she regretted her actions, _if he never wakes up... _she didn't even want to think about it any more.

This new feeling both excited and terrified her, on the one hand it was something new for her to discover, something many organics would die for and she wanted to know what that was like, to experience it first-hand instead in stories. On the other hand, she had no idea if he would, or even _could_, feel the same for her and that thought alone had kept her from admitting how she felt to anyone. A part of her wanted to keep it her secret forever, perhaps continuing denying to herself what she felt, but at the same time she wanted to tell the world, to tell him the moment she got the chance.

She could have groaned then, but instead settled on a small rotation of her facial plates in a show of annoyance, _was this what it meant to be alive? To have such conflicting thoughts and desires? _She laughed then and it actually surprised her, being surrounded by death, destruction, loss and suspicion since the war ended hadn't much put her in the mood for laughter and she wasn't even sure she could, until now. She decided then, that even if being alive meant such turmoil and constant war within her own processes, it was very much worth it. She almost couldn't believe how much her people had been missing for centuries but with that though came a realization, how many of her people had died fighting for Rannoch? How many more had perished in the battle for Earth? They would never get to experience this gift.

She decided she no longer wanted to be alone with her thoughts and crossed the room to stand by Kal's bed, gently taking his hand in hers, "I will be back tomorrow." she squeezed his hand lightly, she knew he likely couldn't hear her but still she felt the need to say goodbye each time she left his side. "Please wake up soon." she whispered as she walked to the door and out into the hallway.

The hospital lobby was full of almost every species, visiting loved ones or volunteering. With the Citadel still stuck in the Sol system many of it's residences had come to Earth the help with the rescue and rebuild effort, with the relays and comm buoys still unresponsive, she supposed they needed something to distract themselves from their worries about the rest of the galaxy.

She left the hospital and spent a few hours walking the streets of London aimlessly, with much of the rubble cleared and bodies taken care of, it was much nicer, though you could still see evidence of the war everywhere you looked. When she got tired of getting nowhere with her feelings, she sent a message off to 2033 or Kael, as he had taken to calling himself, asking if he could meet with her in person. His answer was almost instantaneous, telling her to meet him at the park that they always went to for breaks when they were volunteering, it wasn't far from here and it was a quiet place with a beautiful view.

He greeted her as she sat on the park bench next to him, she stared at the lake as she decided whether or not she wanted to do this, Kael for his part was silent, he never was one for many words. If she was going to do this, it was best to just come out with it, no delays.

"Do you think we can love now?" he made a soft mechanical whirring, a comforting noise to her, she knew it meant he was thinking but she couldn't help wondering what organics must think when they did it.

"We can feel everything now, sadness, happiness, anger, why shouldn't we be able to feel love, too?"

"It's more complex than that. The organics believe it comes from the heart and we don't exactly have those, do we?"

He shook his head, "I believe, when they say it comes from the heart, they are really referring to their souls."

She laughed, it was nothing like it was in the hospital, so full of life, this time it sounded bitter, "does this unit have a soul?"

They were quiet for a time before she decided to ask the question that was bugging her, "Do you think an organic could ever love m— one of us?"

He was quiet while he pondered what she had said, this time the soft whirring only worked to increase her nerves, she hoped he didn't question her too much on this.

"There are still many wounds on both sides..." he stood up, turning to face her as he continued speaking, "but for you, I hope it is possible."

She stared at him a while before she found her voice again, "how did you—" he held up a hand to stop her.

"It doesn't matter. You really do love him, don't you?"

She looked to the ground while she thought, "I think..." she paused then shook her head, looking up at him again with determination, "Yes, I do."

"Then I truly hope it works out for you" he held out his hand to her and when she took it he pulled her into an embrace. It felt strange at first, such an organic interaction, but it felt rather nice.

"Thank you" she whispered.

With her spirits lifted she decided it was a good time to go to Niya's place, she hadn't felt much like sleeping lately so she had spent her nights volunteering wherever she could be of help. But, Niya had been a great friend and she liked to visit her as much as she could. The woman had changed since losing Rei, she never said anything, but she had seen the way they were with each other when they thought no one was around, she knew they were close. As she opened the door to the apartment, she heard heavy footsteps before the Quarian slid to a stop just in front of her, a smile on her face.

"You've been gone a while, did he wake up?"

"You know I would have contacted you if he did."

She sighed, "I know, but a girl can dream, right?"

"I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's fine. Come on," she turned and started walking down the hall towards the lounge room, "they're planning Fleet and Flotilla, have you seen it?"

she followed her, "of course."

"And? What did you think?"

"I liked it."

Niya flopped down on the couch, stretching her legs out, "well, well. I never took you for a romantic, kid."

She sat on the chair next to the couch, "kid?" she feigned insult, "You know I'm technically a few centuries older than you, right?"

She giggled, "so you can joke now, hey? So, care to share what's put you in such a good mood?"

She pretended to think about it for a minute, "nope."

"Well, I see how it is," she grabbed her beer off the small table and pointed the bottle towards her, "I was gonna offer you some but if you wont share, neither will I." she took a big gulp and grinned.

They focused on the movie before Niya suddenly spoke, "Keelah, this movie is making me homesick. I can't wait to finally go to Rannoch."

"I would like to go back, too."

She sat up straight, facing her, "what do you miss most?"

"My people. I haven't been able to connect to the consensus while we've been on Earth, I'd like to know how the rest of them are doing."

"Well... that's deep, and here I was gonna say I missed the food." she shook her head, "seriously, human food is garbage."

"Says the one who lived off nutrient paste most of her life."

"Oh yeah? Says the one who's never even tasted food." they both broke out into laughter. This was the thing she liked most about Niya, she never treated her any different, like most organics would, she treated her like she was actually a person, not just a machine. They quieted down and enjoyed the movie, with Niya trying to get her to sing along every once in a while.

As the movie came to a close, the Quarian yawned, getting up and stretching out her limbs as she did, "I should probably go to sleep, and so should you. You've been out doing ancestors knows what for days without rest."

"I'm fine, really, but you're right, sleep does sound nice." she stood up as well.

"This was fun though," her friend walked towards her, "we should do it again sometime soon." and for the second time in a single day, she found herself in an embrace, this one even nicer than before.

"I'd like that." she gave her best attempt at a smile, she was still getting the hang of expressing her emotions outwardly.

"Good," she pulled away, a radiant smile and a spark in her eyes that she hadn't seen since Rei died, "'cause I wasn't giving you a choice." she walked away then, calling out a goodnight before she disappeared.

She soon followed her example, powering down for the night while she thought of what was to come, she had so much to look forward to now.

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**Authors notes:** So I took the advice of a reviewer and spent more time on this chapter hoping to make it longer, and it went well, I ended up writing much more than I had expected. Hope you all like it. :)


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